Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for international travel
The Seven Chairs
By Linda Tancs
The Roman colony of Emerita Augusta (now known as Mérida in Spain) was founded in 25 B.C. by the emperor Augustus to resettle emeritus soldiers discharged from the Roman army. Like any great city of its day, it needed a theatre, which was erected between 16 and 15 B.C. and is known today as the Roman Theatre of Mérida. Hosting 6,000 people, they were distributed from top to bottom according to their social status. By the 1800s, the ruins were called the Seven Chairs by the locals because only the upper tiers of seats were still visible above the sediment. Excavations and renovations have resulted in a venue prized for its artistic events. The Classical Theatre Festival, held every year since 1933, is the site’s most notable cultural event.
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A Kiss in Lima
By Linda Tancs
According to an old song, a kiss is just a kiss. Not so in Lima, Peru. The simple act is memorialized in a larger than life way with El Beso (The Kiss), a sculpture produced by native Peruvian Victor Delfin. It overlooks the Pacific Ocean at Parque del Amor (Love Park—what else?) in the touristy Miraflores district of Lima. The statue was unveiled on Valentine’s Day in 1993. Perhaps not surprisingly, the site plays host to an annual kissing contest.
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Spain’s Hanging Houses
By Linda Tancs
Built sometime between the 13th and 15th centuries, three clifftop wooden homes (Casas Colgadas) adorn the Huécar Gorge in Cuenca, Spain. Once upon a time, the whole gorge was lined with hanging houses. Built in traditional Gothic style, the homes have been refurbished several times although some original elements can still be seen in the part that houses the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art. Enjoy the balcony view from the museum’s gift shop. Cuenca is located about 86 miles southeast of Madrid, by way of the N-400 or N-320.
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Malaysia’s Largest Cave
By Linda Tancs
Talk about a rock of ages. Peninsular Malaysia’s largest cave system, Gua Tempurung, has rock formations aged between 250 and 400 million years. The overall length of the cave is nearly three miles; the part accessible to the public is just over one mile. Its underground river is nearly one mile long, and when rain comes, the subterranean streams turn into a churning river of froth. You can admire the underground waterfalls and pendant stalactites via walkways. Four tours of escalating difficulty are also offered. The cave system is easily reached via the North-South Highway.
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Shopping in Salerno
By Linda Tancs
An important trading locale for centuries, the old merchant street in the historic center of Salerno, Italy, is a shopper’s paradise. Bottega Bossa is the go-to place for leather goods and is located just blocks from the port, much to the delight of cruise travelers. Salerno also boasts lots of specialty stores that sell wine, sweets, cheese, decorated Italian paper and stationery near Salerno Cathedral. Perhaps long forgotten, the city is also the site of the (now defunct) world’s first medical school, Schola Medica Salernitana.
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A Desert Gateway
By Linda Tancs
The Negev is Israel’s gateway to the desert. Accounting for over half of the country’s land area, the arid mass has been occupied since the dawn of history by nomads, Canaanites, Philistines, Edomites, Byzantines, Nabateans, Ottomans and, of course, Israelis. After the establishment of Israel, the new country’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, promoted the settlement of the Negev and moved to live in Sde Boker. Paula and David Ben-Gurion’s living quarters there have been preserved the way they were upon Ben-Gurion’s death in 1973. A visit to the house includes an exhibit that displays the connection between the prime minister and the Negev. Winter is an especially nice time to visit; despite the small quantities of rain, the Negev is covered with amazing flowers, including luscious red anemones.
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Dancing With Wolves
By Linda Tancs
Feared, loved and hated, the wolf is an apex predator with pride of place in stories, fables and myths. In fact, wolves figure prominently in the mythology of nearly every Native American tribe. You might naturally want to shy away from an encounter with an animal as powerful as this, but that’s far from the case at Norway’s Polar Park. The world’s northernmost animal park, the arctic wildlife centre offers visitors a close encounter with its wolves in an enclosure called WolfVisit. Those meeting basic requirements for entry will have the opportunity to interact with a group of domesticated wolves under the direction of an animal keeper. And in the middle of one of the larger enclosures is a luxury hotel experience called WolfLodge, where oversized windows give you and your furry friends ample opportunity to size each other up. The ambience is particularly spectacular in the winter because the wolves are most active now due to mating season from February to April.
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The World in 118 Acres
By Linda Tancs
At Window of the World in Shenzhen, China, some of the most famous tourist attractions in the world share 118 acres. The theme park’s careful reproductions include miniatures of the Eiffel Tower, the Tower of London, the Sphinx and pyramids, Sydney’s Opera House and even Niagara Falls. You’ll need the better part of a day to see it all; slow walkers should take advantage of the free buggies at the entrance. A favorite of locals and tourists alike, it’s a great way to see the world without spending down the frequent flyer miles.
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The Historic Center of Clockmaking
By Linda Tancs
At the German Clock Museum in Furtwangen you’ll journey through time. The Black Forest venue, appropriately located in the center of clockmaking, recounts time measurement tools from all periods leading up to the atomic clock. Its exhibitions (the nation’s largest clock collection) feature foreign clocks, quartz clocks, everyday timekeepers and, of course, the region’s best known export, the cuckoo clock. Ever wonder why the little bird is in a miniature house? All will be revealed.
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Morocco’s Green Revolution
By Linda Tancs
Although it might be better known as Morocco’s imperial capital at the crossroads of French and Islamic culture, Rabat is also the beating heart of the country’s green revolution. This cosmopolitan port city along the shores of the Bouregreg River and the Atlantic Ocean is a peaceful yet vibrant tree-lined tourist destination, the first city in the nation to organize and celebrate the 40th Earth Day anniversary. Its greenbelt extends over 2,600 acres and includes Jardin Exotique outside the city proper. Designed by a French horticulturalist in 1951, the maze-like garden captivates visitors with assorted tunnels, hanging bridges and bamboo bridges. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the capital also boasts sites like the Mausoleum of Mohammad V, the Hassan Tower, Kasbah of the Udayahs, ruins of the old Roman city of Sala Colonia and the Chellah Necropolis.
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